Firearm-safety.



L QR 192435175 u C. A. NELSON, FIREARM SAFETY. Arrucmou msn Aus. 22. ms.manen In a. m1.

Patnted D00. 4,1917.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. NELSON, OF UTICA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO SAVAGE ARMS CORPORA-TION, OF UTICA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

FIREARM-SAFETY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 4, 1917.

Application led August 22, 1916, Serial No. 116,229. Renewed May 3,1917. Serial No. 166,274.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. NELSON, a citizen of the United States,residing in Utica, New York, have invented the followingdescribedImprovements in Firearm- Safeties.

The invention is an improvement in safety devices for fire arms and moreespecially in that class of fire arms in which the breech piece isoperated by an action lever and is unlocked from the barrel by aninitial movement transverse to the axis of the gun, following whichmovement the said piece is retracted rearwardly or into the breech casing. The invention consists in a safety mechanism of simple and reliableform, so related to the other parts that its operating member may bedisposed at the top of the rip portion of the gun for movement to re bya forward push of the thumb and without encroaching on the clearancespace required for the breech piece or its operating mechanism, andwhereby the reverse i movement may not only securely lock the firingmechanism but also the entire action if preferred. The invention alsoaffords additional and independent features of improvement which will beapparent to those skilled in this art from the accompanying drawings andthe description which follows.

In the drawings, Fi re 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a re-arm,the side wall of the breech casing being removed .and exposing theimproved safety mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line II-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the plate-form safety and thelocation of its detent;

Fig. 4 shows in perspective the parts of Fig. 1 with the plate safety inlocking position Figi 5 is a broken side elevation of a. modification;

Fig. 6 is the plate-safety of Fig. 5.

In Figs. 1 to 4 the breech piece 1 will be understood to be operated bythe curved arm 2 of the action lever 3, receiving therefrom an initialdownward movement, prior to its withdrawal rearwardly into the breechcasing and it will be further understood that the breech piece carriesthe firing-pin or striker, the lug of which marked 4, is arrested duringthe return movement of the breech piece by the nose 5 of the scar 6, andthat the latter is connected to the trigger 7 so that it may bewithdrawn from the lug 4. to -fire the gun. These parts and theirdescribed arrangement and operation are well understood in this art. Thesear is pivoted at 6a and the trigger engages its rear end by a pin andslot connection marked 8, these parts being disposed in the lower partof the breech casing below the normal path of the breech piece therein.

The safety mechanism comprises a fiat and relatively thin plate 9 whichcan be stamped of sheet metal and more or less skeletonized according tothe design of the gun. This plate is housed in the breech casing at oneside of the sear and trigger combination and the other working partstherein and by preference is disposed close to, if not in actual contactwith, the vertical side wall of the casing. In the case in hand it is soplaced, and occupies the entire vertical height of the interior chamber,its upper and lower edges being parallel and adapted to slide upon or atleast be guided by the top and bottom walls of said chamber which arealso parallel, and it is of suiiicient lengthwise dimension to extendfrom a point in rear of the Sear, where it carries the thumb iece, to apoint in front of the sear whereby it may engage therewith by rearwardmovement. In its lateral location it will be observed the plate 9 iswell out of the way of all of the operating parts, and inasmuch as it ismoved only in the direction of its own length it will be apparent thatit functions with much rigidity notwithstanding its thinness. At itsupper rear side the plate 9 carries a bent over lug 10 extending towardthe center of the gun and closely underlying the upper wall of thebreech casing chamber, and the safet thumb piece 11 is screw-connectedto this ug, through an appropriate slot in the breech frame in which itslides freely. Forward operation of the thumb piece 11 sets the gun attire The reverse movement brings one or more parts of the plate intoobstructing position to one or more of the operating members of theaction, thus locking either the firing mechanism or the whole action. InFigs. 1 to ltfthe shoulder 12'cut' in the plate 9 slides under the nose5 of the sear which is extended laterally for engagement by it and atthe same time a lateral or bent over lug 13, rearward of the sear, movesunder a. lug 14 laterally projecting from the curved arm of the actionlever. Inasmuch as both the sear and action lever require to be movedinitially downwardly in order to be operated, it will be evident thatboth will be locked against such movement so long as the safety plate 9is in its rearward position. The screw post marked 15 is a guide for theplate and the spring pressed plunger 16 housed in the upper part of thebreech frame is a detent serving to hold the plate yieldingly in one orthe other of its two described positions and prescribing for it thedesired snap movement. The detent plunger acts transversely to thegeneral plane of the plate engaging shallow sockets therein as indicatedin the drawings and the guide pin 15 serves to take the thrust of theplunger although the side wall of the casing might be satisfactorilyrelied on for this purpose. The post 15 engages a longitudinal groove inthe plate 9 to improve its guiding function and being removable, servesto permit removal of the safety plate when the cover plate for the sideof the breech casing has been removed.

Inasmuch as the operating arm 2 of the action lever, when opening thebreech causes an initial movement of the breech piece which is downwardor transverse to the axis of the gun as above explained, it is evidentthat the breech may be locked in its closed position either by directlypreventing the motion of the arm as above described or by obstructingthe said downward movement of the breech piece. In Figs. 5 and 6, themodified form of safety plate carries a laterally projecting member 17which, on rearward motion, rides under the cocking lug of the striker orunder a part 18 thereof, and when in this position prevents the openingof the breech by obstructing the initial downward or opening movement aswill be understood. Manifestly the action lever may also be locked inthis form if desired, as by means of the lug 13, as before. Otherwise,the construction and operation of this safety device and its relation tothe other parts may be as already described.

In both the forms above described the particular character of thelocking engagement of the plate with the sear and bolt mechanism will berecognized as subordinate to the design of the arm as a whole and alsosubject to variation according to the preference of the manufacturer.The flat safety late is in any event given suitable guiding aring toinsure its easy and true movement endwise from one position to theother. Inasmuch as in the present case the upper and lower edges formsuch a bearing on the upper and lower casin walls and by marginalcontact on the side wall of the casing, the space not required forengagement with the guide-ways or for interlocking engagement with theworking parts of the action is cut away for lightness or to make roomfor the other members. Thus the plate in both forms illustrated in thedrawings comprises an upper limb 9fl and a lower limb 9c on which itslides and the scar-locking shoulder is cut or formed on the rear edgeof the flat connecting member 9b between the limbs and in front of thesear and the lever lug 13 is bent over from the lower limb. By thisdesign of the flat plate it operates with a positively guidedrectilinear movement and is capable of resisting the maximum possible.pressure from either the sear or action lever.

Claims:

l. In a fire-arm, the combination with a breech bolt which is retractedinto the breech casing, of a safety comprising a plate disposed in theinterior and along the side of said casing and a thumb piece therefordisposed at the top of the grip portion of the gun and adapted to movesaid plate into position to obstruct the operation of the gun.

2. In a fire-arm, the combination with a. breech bolt having an initialopening movement transverse to the axis of the gun, of a locking memberoperable from the upper side of the grip portion of the gunlongitudinally for preventing or permitting the operation of the gun.

3. In a fire-arm, the combination of a. breech bolt and casing,mechanism for operating the bolt, firing mechanism, and a verticallydisposed plate longitudinally movable alongside of said mechanism andwithin the casing and having different parts for separate obstructiveengagement with the said mechanisms.

4. In a tire-arm, a safety consisting of a. fiat plate movable endwiseand disposed vertically in the breech casing of the arm, a. lug carriedby said plate underlying the upper wall of the breech casing andextending laterally substantially to the center of such wall and alongitudinally operated thumb piece connected with said lug through saidupper wall.

5. In a {ire-arm, a safety consisting of a plate movable endwise anddisposed along and adjacent to a vertical side wall of the breech casingof the arm, a lug thereon underlying the upper wall of the breech casingand extending substantially to the center of such wall, a thumb piececonnected to the lug and disposed to move lengthwise of the arm at thetop of the grip portion thereof, and one or more shoulders on said plateadapted to obstruct movement of the working parts inside the breechcasing.

6. In a fire-arm, the combination with a breech mechanism including acasing adapted to house the breech bolt and an actlon lever below thecasing for operating the bolt, of a flat plate ided to slide lengthwiseof the arm wit in the casing and adjacent to one of the side Wallsthereof and provided with a member for obstructing o eration of the arm,and a thumb piece siding on the top of the casing and operating saidplate.

7. In a firearm, the combination of a sear and trigger, a breech boltand an action lever, of a safety plate disposed within the breech casingalongside of said arts and comprising upper and lower ara lel limbs, alconnecting bar between sai limbs and a shoulder in the rear edge of saidconnecting bar adapted to obstruct the sear on the rearward movement.

8. In a fire-arm, the combination of a breech bolt and casing, mechanismfor operating the bolt, firing mechanism, a vertically andlongitudinally disposed plate alongside of both said mechanisms andhaving parts for separate obstructive engagement therewith, a laterallyextending lug at the upper margin of the plate, and a thumb piecedisposed to move ongltudinally along the upper side of the fire-arm andconnected to said lug for shiftino` the plate.

9. In a fire-arm, tlie combination of a downwardly and rearwardlymovable breech bolt, a downwardly movable sear, and a verticallydisposed plate at one side of said sear having separate shouldersmovable to a position beneath and into the path of said sear and theoperating mechanism for said breech bolt.

10. In a fire-arm, the combination of a breech bolt, a sear, alongitudinal locking plate at one side of the sear, said plate having ashoulder movable into the path of the Sear to prevent movement of thelatter, a. separate shoulder movable into position to prevent movementof the breech bolt, a thumb piece at the upper side of the firearm andoperatively connected to said plate, and a transversely actingspring-pressed detent for yieldingly holding said plate in its safe andfire ositions.

In testimony w ereof, I have signed this specificati on.

CHARLES A. NELSON.

Copies of this potent le! be obtained tot ive cent: each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

